Migration and urbanization are intricately interwoven phenomena. Migrants are essential for facilitating urban-centric growth policies, as graphically illustrated by how China has fast-forwarded to co-existing prosperity and inequality through rural-urban labor migration, or how European cities are aiming at selective intakes of high-skilled newcomers. In our globalizing and multi-culturalizing societies, conceptually challenging, ethically significant and policy-relevant issues pivot around immigrants’ integration and overcoming obstacles to it.
Compared with other European countries, Finland has a short history of immigration. Thus, research on immigrants’ housing realities and perceptions in Finnish urban context is limited, especially from a comparative perspective. In this project, we investigate the immigrants’ housing pathways, realities and perceptions, focusing on the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. The housing situations and choices by various groups, including second generation Vietnamese- and Somali-speaking groups, Chinese, western African, Iranian and South Asian groups are explored in this research.
Vuolteenaho, Jani
Jani Vuolteenaho, PhD, is the Director and University Lecturer in the Master's Programme in Urban Studies and Planning, an interdisciplinary joint programme between the University of Helsinki and Aalto University. On the top of the Housing & Migration -project, his current research concentrates on the Contested Waterfront Transformation (ConWa) – project (Funded by the Research Council of Finland, 2024-2028).
Sa, Haoxuan
Sa is a postdoctoral researcher in Faculty of Science, University of Helsinki. Her expertise includes housing policies, land property rights and migration studies.